The present invention constitutes an improvement over the apparatus and method taught, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,617 issued Apr. 14, 1992 and assigned to the Assignee of the present invention. As described therein, the apparatus wraps signature bundles through the employment of feed rollers which feed a web from a supply roll of indeterminate length to rollers for shaping the web to form a bend or crease which renders the web self-supporting as it is moved in an upward vertical direction so as to form a "wall" lying within the path of an approaching bundle.
A conveyor conveys the bundle at a speed sufficient to cause the bundle to crash into the "wall" causing the sheet to lose its ability to be self-supporting and thereby collapse about the bundle. The bundle is moved past the position at which the web is fed upwardly through the conveying surface causing the sheet to wrap about at least two contiguous surfaces, including at least the front surface and bottom surface of the bundle. The bundle continues moving in the conveying direction and is delivered to an outfeed location typically provided with equipment for tieing the bundle.
The bottom/three-quarter wrap apparatus, which is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,617, which description is incorporated herein by reference thereto, is designed to accommodate a large supply roll containing a web of indeterminate length which is fed and cut into predetermined lengths, each of which serves as a bottom or 3/4 wrap sheet.
When a supply roll is depleted, a new supply roll is placed upon the supply roll spindle and the free end of the web must then be manually inserted between a pair of non-driven rollers and into the nip of the main feed rollers. This is extremely difficult and tedious to accomplish, necessitating the lifting and/or removal of certain components in order to insert the free end of the web into the nip formed by the main feed rollers. In addition, the feeding of the web when the main motor drive is off is difficult, so that many users operate the main motor during insertion of a new supply web, which presents a potential for injury of the operator.
Such a technique, which is utilized to assure that the web is fed into the nip between the main feed rollers necessitates that the machine be turned on, placing the operator in great potential danger by attempting to insert the web into the nip of the main feed rollers with the apparatus in full operation.
The cutting assembly in the wrapping apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,617 utilizes a cutting blade, which is arranged to one side of the upwardly moving web, and cooperates with the top of one of the web guides arranged on the opposite side of the web, and serves as a cutting anvil. The blade is moved in a substantially horizontal direction through the web, and along the cooperating surface of the anvil. The prior art design necessitates that the blade be positioned with a high degree of precision relative to the cooperating surface of the anvil to achieve proper cutting. This critical adjustment is thrown off when the wrap apparatus is moved even slightly, necessitating frequent readjustment in order to assure clean, proper cutting.